Tubular knitted fabric is appreciated for its innate flexibility and its soft handle or texture. The flexibility means that it is very difficult to process to achieve a desired width and drying tends to harden the handle. Previous drying treatments have hence involved a number of separate stages.
It is among the objects of the invention to provide a method which involves a succession of stages which are combined to give a fabric of an intended width and a good handle while facilitating and simplifying supervision. It is also an object to reduce the number of intermediate stages between drying treatments required and to reduce the attendant transport and storage requirements.